My youngest daughter is 3 1/2 years old. Tonight she was very tired. She was nearly closing her eyes as I was tucking her in to bed! This is unusual, but I love nights like this because it means she will fall asleep QUICKLY. Ahh, the bliss of not having to stay up there and "police" her!
Tonight it hit me. It has been a long time. She has never been a good sleeper, and the worst part has been getting her to go to sleep. Now she is 3 1/2, and I am GLAD I didn't know, at the beginning, that 3 1/2 years later I'd still be sitting up there by her room until she fell asleep, just to make sure she DID go to sleep. (Not wandering around, crawling onto her sibling's beds, talking, playing with stuffed animals, and generally just keeping herself awake!)
It is a reminder that life is not usually exactly what we had expected or hoped for. In this case, a 6th child (meaning lots of experience!) should be easy. I should know what I am doing by now. Ha! She (and the Lord!) had different ideas. I have spent countless hours of my life "waiting" for her to fall asleep almost every night (and nap) since.
The one good thing that I have learned to appreciate is that it gives me a large chunk of "quiet time" that I am free to spend with the Lord. (Maybe it is the way He chose to ensure I have "time" for Him throughout each day!)
But tonight, I am thankful for an already-sleeping family, INCLUDING my youngest. :)
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